Police, fire depts. put equipment on display at National Night Out BY ELANA ARON Correspondent FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP - The rain held off for Freehold Township's first edition of National Night Out. The event, which was held in the parking lot of the municipal complex, Stillwells Corner Road, on the evening of Aug. 7, attracted hundreds of residents. Organized by Freehold Township Community Policing Officer Todd R. Smith and Freehold Township Public Information Officer Patricia Hopkins and sponsored by the Freehold Raceway Mall, the event had no shortage of activities, including booths, rides, food, music and a full display of police, fire and emergency vehicles. Dozens of police officers were on hand to show youngsters how to work the police car lights and sirens. Especially popular with visitors to National Night Out was the police department's new Polaris ATV police vehicle. In addition to all of the police equipment that was on display, firemen who were fully outfitted in protective gear gave children a tour of the Freehold Township Independent Fire Company firehouse next door to the municipal complex and a turn inside the fire engines. "It's great, especially for all of the kids who come," Township Committeeman Raymond A, Kershaw said of the community get-together. The most popular activity of the evening seemed to be dunking police officer Mike Simonetti into a tub of water as children aimed a ball at a target that sent him falling repeatedly into an icy bath. "They're like, 'Who writes the most tickets in the department? Let's put Simonetti in there,' so I was chosen," the officer said. National Night Out was organized 24 years ago and is celebrated nationwide. The crime prevention and drug prevention event was created to heighten crime awareness and drug awareness, generate support for local anti-crime programs, strengthen neighborhood police and community partnerships, and to send a message of a strong and unified community to criminals.